Fashion is one of the global industries where Britons have power and influence — so the Brexit vote was of particular interest

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A model wears a creation for Guvenchy's Men's Spring Summer 2017 fashion collection presented on June 24, 2016 in Paris. The mood at many shows was sombre after the British vote to leave the European Union.

The British vote to leave the European Union and not the clothes were the talk of the front row crowd at menswear shows in Paris on Friday.

It started at Maison Margiela, a house for whom Briton John Galliano is at the creative helm, one of many examples of cross-pollination in European fashion.

Galliano was not present at the somber show, with some fashion insiders commenting that the slow-beat Leonard Cohen soundtrack aptly defined the mood of many British attendees, all of whom The Associated Press spoke to were opposed to a British exit, or Brexit, from the EU.

"It's terrible," repeated several top British fashion editors at the show in the storied Latin Quarter in Paris.

Fashion is one of the global industries where Britons are at the forefront of power and influence — so the Brexit vote was of particular interest. The most French of industries — haute couture — was even invented by an Englishman, Charles Frederick Worth, in the 19th century.

Arguably the most powerful person in the industry is London-born U.S. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, sister of the Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. The Guardian, which has a big online presence, urged people to vote against Brexit.

Vogue's number two, Grace Coddington is also British and part of a fashion galaxy that include myriad designers. In addition to Galliano, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, Celine's Phoebe Philo and Chloe's Clare Waight Keller are among high-profile British artistic directors of Paris-based houses.